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Towards greater collaboration: what can school and tertiary language teachers offer each other?

Towards greater collaboration: what can school and tertiary language teachers offer each other?. Matthew Absalom, Ruth Fielding, Lesley Harbon, Anne-Marie Morgan. Overview. Why collaborate? Crisis in languages in education at all levels …divided we fall… Ways to collaborate Communication

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Towards greater collaboration: what can school and tertiary language teachers offer each other?

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  1. Towards greater collaboration: what can school and tertiary language teachers offer each other? Matthew Absalom, Ruth Fielding, Lesley Harbon, Anne-Marie Morgan

  2. Overview • Why collaborate? • Crisis in languages in education at all levels • …divided we fall… • Ways to collaborate • Communication • Sharing expertise (bi-directional) • Research • Professional learning • Student engagement • Advocacy • Call to action

  3. Why collaborate? • To overcome barriers between levels • Addressing perceived differences in expertise and pedagogy • Primary – Secondary – Tertiary: transition issues at every point • Many different pathways and programs • Continuity of language learning is a key consideration for success – communication between sectors crucial to ease transition • Essential for the student experience and to create a stronger learning environment for the teachers involved

  4. Why collaborate? • To provide transition pathways – multiple options for language learners and teachers • By collaborating we can explore the possibilities for consistent pathways from primary through secondary to tertiary • One key discussion point is how to offer continuity in the same language • To consider how teachers in schools and tertiary teachers can work towards a joint aim – more learners of languages, and a continuous pathway

  5. Why collaborate? • To better advocate for languages at all levels • School and university management and teaching staff • Community image and addressing the ‘culture’ of learning and reasons to learn languages • Government and funding agencies • DEEWR, ACARA, AEF • National agencies: Goethe, Alliance Française, embassies etc • Corporate sector

  6. Why collaborate? • To share pedagogical approaches • Same page? • Methodologies or post-method approaches • Shared repertoire of knowledge, understandings, goals & objectives • Level of engagement with contemporary context • Teacher ‘stance’ and positioning • Catering for diversity of learners and learner pathways • Pathways: knowing what others do and providing suitable pre- and post-considerations in teaching and learning

  7. Why collaborate? • For better student engagement and learning outcomes • Transition • Improve pathways • Improved pedagogy • Continuity of programs • Improved funding opportunities • Greater collaborative research potential (especially issues relating to practice, learners, etc.)

  8. Ways to collaborate • Language teacher education offerings • Faculties of Arts for language content and Faculties of Education for pedagogy and curriculum (interdisciplinary) • Both pre-service and in-service programs • Shared professional learning and learning resources

  9. Examples of collaboration • Babel • The only Australian scholarly journal dedicated to languages in education (B rating | ERA 2010) • Professional Standards Project (2002-ongoing) • Aspirational standards with language-specific annotations (tertiary – school panels) (AFMLTA, 2005) • Professional learning project workshops, materials, online resources, in-country programs, ongoing cross-sectoral and cross level collaboration • School/tertiary educators working with school teachers • Continued engagement with project and materials, with further school-tertiary collaboration

  10. Examples of collaboration • Honours/RHD joint supervision • Research projects • Small-scale • Larger-scale • Mutually beneficial • Tertiary and secondary language learners in the process, not just the teachers • Knowledge transfer • Melbourne: Italian mentoring project (T/S, T/P)

  11. Examples of collaboration • Professional association membership and networking • MLTAs, (AFMLTA), ALAA, language-specific associations: conferences, committees • Opportunities for discussion of current issues • Shared celebrations • Guest speakers • Connections with communities • Contribution to position and representation • Other?

  12. Call to action... • Challenge conventional views • Our work: take risks • Ingrained perception of difference (P, S, T) • Professional associations and possible contributions • Long-term perspective • Action now but pay-off later • Broadening conceptions of communities of practice

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